Conventionally a polyester filled mattress pad has three layers. The top and bottom layers are made up of fabric which may be manufactured using different textile materials including cotton, polyesters, silk, polypropylene or any other natural or manmade material. The middle layer is generally made up of polyester, or cotton, or blend of cotton, polyester, or goose feathers, or any other natural or manmade material. The middle layer is either blown filled (in case of lose fibers), or it is placed (in case of garnet fill) in between the top and bottom layers, whether placed mechanically, manually, or combination thereof. The three layers are sewn together on the edges and then all three layers are quilted together. The quilt design usually includes a geometric shape such as a box, a diamond, a hexagon, etc. FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 depict conventional mattress pads. The mattress pad 10 of FIG. 1 has a flat upper exterior surface with box quilting; the mattress pad 20 of FIG. 2 has a flat upper exterior surface with diamond quilting; and the mattress pad 30 of FIG. 3 has a flat upper exterior surface with invisible flat quilting.
Additionally, a knitted or woven or nonwoven fabric is attached on the edges of the quilted piece to form a drop of the mattress pad. The purpose of the drop is to make the mattress pad fit properly on a mattress.
It is believed that a drawback to such a mattress pad having a flat quilted surface is the resulting lack of support that is provided at various regions of the body, which support is required for better sleep and relaxation. In particular, the flat quilted surface of these mattress pads results in a lack of support at the various regions of the body believed to be required for better sleep and relaxation.
Indeed, the mass and distribution of a human body varies widely from head to toe, which places substantially more pressure on a mattress in areas such as the pelvic and shoulder regions than in other regions. As evidence of this, over a period of time the structure of a mattress compresses noticeably to a greater extent in the pelvic and shoulder regions than the other areas of the mattress. Further, it is believed that these compressed regions induce pain and aches in different regions of the human body. Usage of such a mattress ultimately leads to discomfort in sleep and frequent tossing and turning on a bed. Use of a mattress pad having a flat quilted surface does not help in this respect.
As an alternative consumers sometimes purchase body contour mattress pads or mattresses, which are either made of memory foam or latex, and that are quite expensive. The body contour mattress pad helps in providing support to the entire body at the major areas when used on a mattress, but since these mattress pads are made from latex or memory foam, such mattress pads are bulky, are not so easy to handle, and are not washable. Further, such mattress pads also heat up quickly during usage and tend to have a displeasing odor.
In view of the foregoing, it is believed that a need exists for a mattress pad that has multiple comfort zones along its length for supporting the human body and facilitating faster relaxation of the human body to induce better sleep, and that overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages of a body contoured mattress pad made of memory foam or latex. Such a need is believed to be addressed by at least some embodiments of the invention.